Ferdinand of Aragon Conquers Naples

The struggle for control of the Kingdom of Naples formed part of the long Italian Wars that drew France and Spain into repeated conflict over the Italian peninsula. In 1500 Ferdinand II of Aragon and King Louis XII of France had agreed by the secret Treaty of Granada to partition Naples between them, but the arrangement soon collapsed into open warfare as the two powers quarreled over the division of the spoils.

Spanish forces under the gifted commander Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba, known as the Great Captain, won decisive victories that broke French resistance in southern Italy. The campaign culminated when the last French garrison at Gaeta surrendered on 1 January 1504, completing the Spanish conquest of Naples. The subsequent settlement confirmed Spanish possession of the southern kingdom while France retained its position in the north of Italy.

The conquest established Aragonese and then unified Spanish dominance over Naples and southern Italy, a hegemony that would endure for some two centuries. Córdoba's innovative use of firearms and infantry tactics in these campaigns marked a turning point in early modern warfare, and Spain's triumph confirmed its emergence as the leading military power in Italy and a dominant force in European affairs.